The Swachh Bharat Revolution: Four Pillars of India's Behavioural Transformation by Iyer Parameswaran

Author:Iyer, Parameswaran [Iyer, Parameswaran]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India
Published: 2019-09-27T16:00:00+00:00

A Jan Andolan

AKSHAY ROUT

OSD, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India

‘Friends, the way the Swachh Bharat Mission reached every nook and corner of the country in the form of a jan andolan is a case study for many prestigious universities across the world. I think that in the 21st century, this kind of movement for behavioural change has not happened in any other country until now. India is certainly changing. Behaviours and habits are changing.’

—Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Motihari, 10 April 2018

INHERENT IN THE Prime Minister’s words above is the underlying philosophy of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM): the bold but sincere effort to change sanitation behaviours across the country within just 5 years. These deep-seated and socially accepted but unhealthy behaviours – especially open defecation (OD) – have been prevalent among many parts of the population over generations. This was, therefore, a significant challenge for sanitation practitioners in 2014. Neuroscientists agree that it is much easier to adopt ‘new’ habits than replace old ones that refuse to die.

In the heterogenous context of India, mindsets vary across communities. To some, it was impure to have a toilet in the premises of their homes, to others going out for open defecation was a social outing. For some, toilets were for occasional use when it was raining outside, and for others, toilets were only for women or old people – it was macho to go out. There were also certain areas where topographical challenges made the construction of toilets difficult, and made the task of behaviour change even more arduous. But one thing was clear: the brick and sand and the pan were nominal factors; one had to work primarily on the mind. The key challenge before the Swachh Bharat Mission was to construct a toilet in people’s minds, that would then automatically manifest itself on the ground.

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